How did Pokémon Go become a global phenomenon in just 24 hours?

Read this next

Need to Know

If you were anywhere near social media in the five days, you’ve seen them: screenshots from Pokémon Go, in which the cartoon monsters appear to lurk in real life.

The game – Nintendo’s second foray into mobile gaming startup – allows players to capture demons via augmented reality, the latest innovation to help anyone mimic psychosis on a busy sidewalk (after a successful showing from Bluetooth headsets).

To call the game a phenomenon would be a massive understatement. Just a day after the game’s July 6 launch, the app was already installed on more Android devices in the U.S. than Tinder, 5.16% of all smartphones and tablets. According to Similar Web, more than 60% are using it daily, meaning the app will soon have more Daily Active Users than Twitter.

VentureBeat reports that the game took the first slot in the iOS app store’s top-grossing countdown within a day of its release.

The game’s success sent Nintendo stock rising by as much as 23% in a single day.

The planned global rollout of the game – it’s currently available in North America, Australia, and New Zealand – had to be halted due to overwhelming demand on the company’s servers, and people are not too happy about it. For international readers, The Guardian provides a handy workaround.